Virtue as an Ethical Concept: Kindness, Honesty, Fairness
This paper examines virtue as an ethical concept, drawing on Aristotle's foundational definition of the virtuous person as one who possesses stable, well-established character traits. Using resources from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the paper defines virtue ethics broadly and then explores three specific virtues in depth: kindness, honesty, and fairness. The paper concludes that while each virtue has independent merit, no single trait is sufficient to qualify a person as truly virtuous. A genuinely virtuous individual must embody multiple virtues consistently across situations and relationships.
- Introduction to Virtue Ethics: Broad definition of virtue ethics as a field
- Defining Virtue and the Virtuous Person: Aristotle's character-based definition of virtue
- Kindness as a Virtue: Kindness as a Christlike, empathetic character trait
- Honesty as a Virtue: Honesty as refusal to fake reality
- Fairness and Justice as Virtues: Justice and fairness as Greek virtues
- Conclusion: Multiple virtues required for a truly virtuous person
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What makes this paper effective
- Anchors the discussion in Aristotle's classical definition of virtue before moving to specific examples, giving the essay a clear theoretical foundation.
- Uses a consistent structure for each virtue — definition, citation from a recognized source, and brief explanation — making the argument easy to follow.
- The conclusion synthesizes all three virtues and makes the important point that no single virtue is sufficient to constitute a fully virtuous person, which elevates the essay beyond a simple list.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates the technique of using authoritative reference sources (the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) to establish working definitions before applying those definitions to concrete examples. This approach grounds the argument in established scholarship rather than personal opinion, which is appropriate for an introductory ethics essay.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a broad definition of virtue ethics, then narrows to Aristotle's concept of the virtuous person. Three body sections each treat one virtue — kindness, honesty, and fairness — with supporting quotations and brief analysis. A concluding section ties the virtues together and argues that true virtue requires the combination of multiple character traits rather than the presence of any single one. The structure is straightforward and well-suited to the introductory level of the argument.
Introduction to Virtue Ethics
The objective of this study is to examine virtue as an ethical concept. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy states that virtue ethics is a "broad term for theories that emphasize the role of character and virtue in moral philosophy rather than either doing one's duty or acting in order to bring about good consequences" (2014, p. 1).
Defining Virtue and the Virtuous Person
The virtue ethics theorist adheres to Aristotle's definition of the virtuous person as "someone who has ideal character traits. These traits derive from natural internal tendencies, but need to be nurtured; however, once established, they will become stable" (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2014, p. 1).
The virtuous person exhibits behavior that demonstrates traits such as kindness, honesty, and fairness. The virtuous person is described as "someone who is kind across many situations over a lifetime because that is her character and not because she wants to maximize utility or gain favors or do her duty" (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2014, p. 1).
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy reports that a virtue "such as honesty or generosity is not just a tendency to do what is honest or generous, nor is it to be helpfully specified as a 'desirable' or 'morally valuable' character trait. It is indeed a character trait — that is, a disposition which is well entrenched in its possessor, something that as we say 'goes all the way down,' unlike a habit such as being a tea-drinker — but the disposition in question, far from being a single-track disposition to do honest actions, or even honest actions for certain reasons, is multi-track. It is concerned with many other actions as well, with emotions and emotional reactions, choices, values, desires, perceptions, attitudes, interests, expectations and sensibilities. To possess a virtue is to be a certain sort of person with a certain complex mindset" (2014, p. 1).
Kindness as a Virtue
Joseph B. Wirthlin, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, writes that kindness "is the essence of a celestial life. Kindness is how a Christlike person treats others. Christ instructed his followers to do unto others as they would have done unto them. In other words, treat others as one wants to be treated" (Wirthlin, 2014, p. 1).
Kindness is a virtue because it requires the individual to consistently attempt to view life from the perspective of those they interact with, so that they are able to respond to others in a way that is sensitive to each person's individual and unique point of view.
Conclusion
This study has examined virtue as an ethical concept, likened to Aristotle's definition of the person who is virtuous based upon having character traits that are not only ideal but inherent in the individual — ingrained into their personality and their manner of engaging with life and with others. Three aspects of virtue have been examined: honesty, kindness, and fairness, with each virtue described and supported with examples.
Virtue is a word representing many facets of an individual's character; however, the individual possessing only one virtue cannot be considered a truly virtuous person. The virtuous person must have many virtues, since a person who is kind may still be unjust in some situations or dishonest in some of their dealings, thereby demonstrating that no single trait is sufficient. Kindness, fairness, and honesty, while all genuine virtues, are not by themselves enough to establish an individual as virtuous. When combined with other integral character traits, however, these qualities are among the most essential indicators of a person's possession of virtue.
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